M.C. Beaton was a British author best known for her cozy mystery series featuring characters such as Agatha Raisin and Hamish Macbeth. Born Marion Chesney on February 10, 1936, in Glasgow, Scotland, she adopted the pen name M.C. Beaton for her writing career.
Beaton’s Agatha Raisin series, which began with "Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death" in 1992, follows a witty, retired public relations executive who unearths murder mysteries in the Cotswolds. Meanwhile, the Hamish Macbeth series, set in the Scottish Highlands, features a quirky village constable who solves various crimes.
Beaton's books are characterized by their humor, engaging characters, and light-hearted approach to crime fiction. She was quite prolific, writing over 30 books in the Agatha Raisin series alone, along with several in the Hamish Macbeth series and other historical romances and mysteries. Beaton passed away on January 31, 2021, but her works continue to entertain readers around the world.
